I’ve played several games in the ‘matching’ genre, but never has one been as lively, colorful and animated as Feevo HD. A port of what was originally a game on Facebook, Feevo HD makes its way onto the iOS in what seems to be a brilliant time-killer for those who enjoy this genre of games.

Feevo HD has you matching colorful card-suite symbols (Hearts, Diamonds, Spades and Clubs) in one of two different gameplay modes: Fever and Blitz. Matching these shapes is as simple as dragging and releasing them where desired, where the objective is to match four similar pieces in order to banish them from the playing field and earn yourself some well-earned points. An interesting mechanic is the presence of pinball-machine bumpers located at the outskirts of the playing board; as you make more matches, small confetti-balls drop above these, netting you bonus points depending on the accuracy and trajectory of which bumpers they collide with. Both the visual and auditory production values seem to be in line, if not one notch greater than with what you would normally expect from Match-3 games.

Playing Feevo HD for extended rounds will eventually help you gain and collect EXP (experience points), allowing you to level up and use different power-ups when you feel the need to shake things up. Amongst these are Shuffle, Ignition, Charge and Fever, each of which help set the board in your favor in order to help you achieve higher scores.

While Blaze Mode sticks to the tried-and-tested gameplay of achieving the highest possible score before the timer-bar runs out, Fever Mode offers something a bit more creative and far more enjoyable. Here, the objective is to clear as many pieces from the gaming board as possible using one move at a time; there’s no timer, which has instead been replaced by an Action Bar. Clear enough pieces, and you will eventually hit Fever Mode; once there, a multiplier gets put onto all points earned during this stint. The Action Bar dictates how many moves you are allowed till it’s game over. This bar can be replenished by earning sufficient points, effectively done while entering Fever Mode and gutting the playing field with the biggest combos your mind can strategically conjure. The game eventually ends if you fail to sustain your score, and hence, allow your number of remaining actions to hit.

Understanding these gameplay mechanics were a bit tricky for someone like me who had never played the Facebook version before. While the game explained the rules initially in-game, it was nowhere to be found again; instead, when I clicked on the “Question Mark” button, it re-directed me to an online video on YouTube explaining the basic mechanics of the game. I unfortunately didn’t have Wi-Fi connectivity at the time I initially tried this and hence, I was disappointed that this wasn’t built into the game as an offline feature.

In the end, I feel Feevo HD is a title which is extremely easy to love if you’re a fan of the genre. With its colorful graphics, vibrant animations and charming sound-effects, there’s a lot of time to spend in trying to top your friends’ or your own score.Final Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars